News You Can Use

By From Staff and Wire Reports

BACK IN TIME

DEC. 6, 1957

Leila Goodwin has been named sponsor of the Junior College of Augusta basketball team.

Others nominated for the title were Pat Stillwell, Mary Sue Hill, Sally Beckum, Sibbie Hogan and Harriet Collins. Butch Myrick, captain of the basketball team, presented the nominees to the students at a dance.

(For a look at history through the pages of The Augusta Chronicle, subscribe to augustaarchives.com.)

PRESS INKING SYSTEM

The Augusta Chronicle is putting the final touches on its transition to a new newspaper.

The Chronicle is installing a digital inking system better designed to interface with its narrower width, said Kenny Taylor, assistant production director for the newspaper.

The new system should solve problems with ink density and uneven colors that have appeared in some copies of The Chronicle since its switch to a redesigned, narrower format Oct. 1, Mr. Taylor said.

Installation of the system is scheduled to be completed by Jan. 1, Mr. Taylor said. Until then, some copies of The Chronicle might continue to have heavier amounts of ink than normal, he said.

"There are times when our customers and other people will notice a darker-printed image that usual," he said.

As part of a redesign implemented Oct. 1, The Chronicle narrowed the width of each page by 1 inch. The change allowed the newspaper to conform with new industry standards used by national advertisers.

To facilitate the change, the width of the newspaper's press had to be trimmed to 50 inches. But The Chronicle has had to continue to use its older inking system while the new digital system was being installed, Mr. Taylor said. That sometimes caused ink to line up incorrectly with the position of newsprint on the press, Mr. Taylor said.

In turn, too much ink sometimes reached pages, or text and pictures appeared discolored or blurred. The new inking system will eliminate such issues, Mr. Taylor said. Besides being designed for a press 50 inches wide, the new system will allow operators to govern more precisely the press run's colors and ink densities, he said.

"More consistency is really the big key," he said. Although pleased with the progress the new inking system represents, newspaper executives recognize the challenges presented by upgrading a working press.

"Our actual press cut-down was tremendously successful, and the new design it enabled us to use continues to draw compliments," said Julian Miller, the Chronicle's general manager.

"Unfortunately, our control of the reproduction quality will be tested until the new ink system is completed. "Our press crew really is doing a terrific job. We ask our customers to bear with us until this project is completed. We have no doubt our reproduction will dramatically improve in timing and print quality."

- Brandon Haddock

COLD OR FLU?

Which do you have? Here are some tips to tell the difference.

WITH FLU:

Common symptoms are general weakness, headache, chills and widespread muscle ache.

Coughing is common - dry and hacking.

Fever of at least 100 Fahrenheit is common.

About half of flu victims have a flushed face and hot, moist skin.

WITH A COLD:

Local symptoms can start in the nose, throat, eyes or chest.

Coughing is less severe and is usually associated with congestion.

Fever is less common except in young children.

Colds seldom cause flushing or hot skin in adults.

An important thing to remember is that colds spread more readily hand to hand than by sneezes or coughs. If you have a cold, sneeze or cough into a tissue, and wash your hands after.

Sources: American Lung Association, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

TEEN DRIVERS

The Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety has released the Parental Guide to New Teenage Driving Requirements, which explains the new driving rules and regulations for teen-agers that will be effective Jan. 1.

The brochure is a response to the Teen Driving Safety Law that was approved by the General Assembly during the 2001 session. The pamphlet outlines how the new teen-age driving requirements will affect teen drivers and their parents. Before teen-agers can apply for their permanent driver's license and obtain all the privileges that go with it, they must now have 40 hours of supervised experience. Six of those hours must be at night.

If the student has participated and successfully passed a driver education course, it requires 20 hours of supervised driving time - six at night. This must be certified by a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult.

The brochure provides all the guidelines and requirements, a suggested driving skills checklist, and an optional driving log. It also contains a sample of the Verification Form, which will be completed by the teen's parent at the DMVS Customer Service Center.

The parent or designated adult is required to affirm that the applicant has completed the behind-the-wheel experience and will be held liable for any fictitious representation.

The brochures will be available at no cost at all DMVS Customer Service Centers and will be distributed to high school educators. A copy can also be obtained from the department's Web site, www.dmvs.ga.gov.

For more information, contact the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety at (678) 413-8400.

MAIL LOOKOUT

With today's heightened awareness of terrorism, David A. Dlugolenski, director of the Augusta-Richmond County Emergency Management Agency, passes along some characteristics of suspicious packages and letters:

Excessive postage

Handwritten or poorly typed addresses

Incorrect titles

Title, but no name

Misspellings of common words

Oily stains, discolorations or odor

No return address

Excessive weight

Lopsided or uneven envelope

Protruding wires or aluminum foil

Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc.

Visual distractions

Ticking sound

Marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal" or "Confidential"

Shows a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address.